Workington have silverware to play for in the closing weeks of the season, and Reds boss Danny Grainger will be hoping this can fire up his squad for the closing League engagements.
They have been on a poor run of results in the NPL Premier Division since Grainger announced he was standing down at the end of the season.
Grainger insists this should not have affected performances, although the last 3-2 home defeat to bottom Atherton Collieries a fortnight ago, was particularly hard to take.
It was better last week in a 2-1 defeat to play-off chasing Worksop and that needs to be taken-up another notch tomorrow at home to Marine, another side fighting for the play-offs.
Wednesday night’s 3-0 win over Maryport Athletic means Reds will host Carlisle United on April 23 in the Fred Conway County Cup final, a trophy they won at Brunton Park last year with a big win over Penrith.
Grainger, a former United captain, wants to go out on a high at Borough Park and a win over Reds’ traditional old foes, would help – but so too would be some stand-out performances against quality NPL sides, starting with Marine tomorrow.
In the Northern League there are contrasting games for the Cumbrian pair with Carlisle City travelling to third-placed West Auckland while Penrith are at the bottom side Sunderland RCA.
City’s game was postponed last Saturday and they face a West Auckland side desperate to win their last two games to help their play-off cause, as their rivals all have games in hand.
Unfortunately City’s own play-off challenge has fizzled out over the last month but they still lie seventh and are more than 20 points better off than they were last season. Manager Jim Nichols wants to finish the campaign on a high note.
Penrith were disappointingly beaten 3-1 at home by West Allotment Celtic last week but it’s been a refreshingly improved season from Darren Edmondson’s men who sit comfortably clear of any relegation fight this year.
Edmondson, however, will also want to finish strongly and although complacency and team strength are both concerns in away fixtures like this, it should be a good opportunity to return to winning ways. Sunderland RCA have managed only four points all season and have conceded 134 goals in 32 games.
In the West Lancashire League Premier Division both Cleator Moor Celtic (35pts from 26 games) and Whitehaven (33 from 27) sit mid-table ninth and tenth with six and five fixtures respectively to fit-in.
The weather has played havoc with all non-League and some clubs have suffered more than most. Wyre Villa, for instance still have 16 games to play.
That might have been why they insisted Whitehaven travelled last week in the hope of a drying-out pitch but when they got there the west Cumbrians found a section of the pitch clearly unplayable.
This week they go to CMB who are challenging for the title in second place – seven points behind Thornton Cleveleys with four games in hand.
Cleator Moor Celtic, whose game at Coppull United was called-off last week, travel to fifth-placed Burscough Richmond.
In the Wearside League Windscale face a hectic conclusion as they have to fit in ten fixtures, starting tomorrow at Shotton Colliery.
